Liverpool

Pre-season plans:

• 27 July: Liverpool v Real Betis, Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh (00:30)
• 1 August: Liverpool v Arsenal, Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia (00:30)
• 4 August: Liverpool v Manchester United, Brice Stadium, Columbia (00:30)
• 11 August: Liverpool v Sevilla, Anfield (15:00)

Who've they signed?

The Merseyside club are yet to announce any summer arrivals following the appointment of new manager Arne Slot.

Who are they linked with?

• Liverpool are interested in Spain Under-21 defender Dean Huijsen, but are unsure about Juventus' £25.3m valuation according to Tuttosport - in Italian, external.
• Sky Germany's Philipp Hinze, external has reported that Liverpool want to sign RB Leipzig's 24-year-old French defender Mohamed Simakan.
• (Marca - in Spanish), external believe that Liverpool are looking to activate Spain winger Nico Williams' release clause in his Athletic Bilbao contract.

Click the thumbs to rate Liverpool's transfer window so far.

OK, we will continue to return to your Get Involved responses throughout the afternoon as there are plenty of contrasting views on this subject, although the majority of you to be in favour of less football.

Despite that, let's turn our attention to the pre-season - United States tours and all.

We have already covered Manchester City, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Everton, including a look at the games they have coming up and the business they have done so far in the transfer market.

In the next few hours we will attempt to take a snapshot of as many of the remaining Premier League clubs as we have time to consider.

In each post, vote with the thumbs to tell us how you rate the business done so far by that club in the current transfer window.

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

This is the nuclear option. It is the red button the unions and leagues hoped not to press but they feel they have been left with no alternative.

Central, as it has always been, is player welfare and the amount of games they are being asked to play.

Unions, by reputation, do not need to be asked twice to fight for the rights of their members but the fact the leagues - including the Premier League - are backing this action makes it significant.

Some needed more persuading than others, which is one of the reasons why this has taken time, yet there cannot be a clearer indication of the severity of the situation than everyone now being on the same page.

The threat of legal action has been spoken about in football circles for over a year and there is now a united front, one the Professional Footballers' Association wanted to ensure before progressing.

It is the second case - the PFA is a co-claimant with the French players' union in a claim filed at the Brussels court of commerce last month which challenges the legality of Fifa's decisions to unilaterally set the international match calendar.

The cases will run alongside each other. The discussions on what levers to pull have been on-going, given there are multiple issues the unions have a problem with, which is why there are two actions, two lines of attack.

Fifa's response and argument against the actions is to accuses some clubs of hypocrisy - taking their players around the globe on summer tours - while also saying that Fifpro is consulted over the calendar. So a strong defence is expected from the world governing body.

Yet there is a determination from all the complainants to follow both cases through, if a resolution outside the courts is not found.

Unions and leagues want to see a change from Fifa and, if one is not forthcoming, this will go the distance.

A recent study by the CIES Football Observatory, external - a research group at the International Centre for Sports Studies - on schedules and player workload suggested that clubs are not playing more matches per season.

Its report found that between 2012 and 2024, the average number of fixtures per club and season sat at just over 40, with about 5% of clubs playing 60 or more games per season.

No significant change was observed in the proportion of clubs playing 60 or more matches.

However, this season will see the introduction of a new format in the Champions League group stages, which has been expanded from 32 to 36 teams.

The number of matches in the new format will increase from 125 to 189.

Each team will play a minimum of eight games - instead of six - and a maximum of 17.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, PA Media

Maheta Molango, chief executive of the PFA and FifPro board member, said in May that players were at breaking point and could strike if they continue to be overworked.

Because of the expanded Club World Cup, next year's African Cup of Nations has been moved from the summer to December 2025 and January 2026, which is also likely to impact that season's Champions League knockout stages.

"Legal action is the unfortunate but inevitable consequence of major stakeholders within the game - the leagues and the players - being ignored," said Molango.

"It’s just not tenable to continue to argue that this approach to the fixture calendar is working.

"As always, it’s the players who are expected to bend. As we have seen, eventually they will break. It has to stop."

The legal action being proposed by The European Leagues is not the first to be brought against Fifa over claims of an "overloaded and unworkable" football calendar.

The PFA is a co-claimant with the French and Italian players' union in a claim filed at the Brussels court of commerce, with the support of the European office of Fifpro.

That action focuses on employment law issues, the way Fifa manages the calendar, and the introduction of new competitions and how they clash with employment rights for players.

"Fifa holds a dual role as both the global regulator of football and a competition organiser," Fifpro said. "This creates a conflict of interest."

Fifa has responded strongly to the legal action being brought by The European Leagues, accusing some leagues of "hypocrisy" by sending their players on global pre-season tours.

A Fifa spokesperson said: "The current calendar was unanimously approved by the Fifa Council, which is composed of representatives from all continents, including Europe, following a comprehensive and inclusive consultation, which included Fifpro and league bodies.

“Fifa's calendar is the only instrument ensuring that international football can continue to survive, co-exist, and prosper alongside domestic and continental club football.

“Some leagues in Europe - themselves competition organisers and regulators - are acting with commercial self-interest, hypocrisy, and without consideration to everyone else in the world.

"Those leagues apparently prefer a calendar filled with friendlies and summer tours, often involving extensive global travel.

"By contrast, Fifa must protect the overall interests of world football, including the protection of players, everywhere and at all levels of the game."

So what do you think?

Do you think there is too much football being played? Click thumbs up if you agree, thumbs down if you don't.

As ever, please send us your views on this subject via text, WhatsApp or X using the contact details above, and remember to include your name on any message.

Thanks.

Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

The top European leagues, including the Premier League, and the global players' union Fifpro will launch legal action against world governing body Fifa over its "abuse of dominance" in the game.

The European Leagues, which represents 39 leagues and 1,130 clubs in 33 countries, says it is filing a complaint to the European Commission to take Fifa to court to protect the welfare of players.

It comes following growing pressure from leagues and player unions, including the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA), over the number of games added to the calendar and how that impacts players.

A Fifpro statement said the international calendar is "now beyond saturation", "unsustainable for national leagues" and a "risk for the health of players".

The European Leagues also includes the English Football League, Scottish Professional Football League, Serie A and the Bundesliga. La Liga is not a member but is joining the action.

In May Fifa rejected a claim that Fifpro and the World Leagues Association were not consulted over plans to host a 32-team Club World Cup.

Manchester City and Chelsea are among the 12 European representatives at the expanded Club World Cup, to be held in the USA between 15 June and 13 July 2025.

Click here for the full story.

John Duerden
Asian football writer

Image source, Getty Images

Eight years have passed since Leicester City shocked the world by winning the English Premier League - but there is an even more far-fetched and unlikely story brewing in the Japanese top flight.

Machida Zelvia, who only formed in 1989 and were a non-league team until 2009, are five points clear at the top of the J-League with 14 games left.

They had never even played at the highest level before this season.

Nobody saw this coming. Leicester at least had an experienced international manager in Claudio Ranieri, but Machida's boss Go Kuroda is in just his second season as coach of a professional side. He was in charge of a high-school team before that.

Just like in England back in 2016, plenty have been waiting for the bubble to burst - but the team from western Tokyo remain confident.

"We want to win the title and we have that belief," Machida striker Mitch Duke told BBC Sport.

Click here to read more.

Joe, Surrey: I'll never understand someone like Ian (11:17 BST). If Dougie Freedman had left [Crystal Palace] for Manchester United I'd be sad but would still wish him well. It's their own careers they have to think about.

Image source, Getty Images

Che Adams has thanked Southampton fans for their "incredible support" and says he is proud to be leaving after helping the club to secure promotion back to the Premier League.

The Scotland striker, 28, who left Saints this summer after his contract expired, has joined Serie A side Torino on a three-year deal.

In a message to the fans, Adams said on X, external: "I'm so grateful for the past five years.

"Southampton became home to me and my family, and we were surrounded by some amazing people and players."

And he added: "I am proud to be leaving with my head held high, getting this club back to where it belongs. We made you fans a promise, and it gives me such pride that we delivered.

"Thank you for all your support, you have followed us home and away in incredible numbers, and it meant so much."

Simon Stone
BBC Sport in Los Angeles

In a years' time, former Liverpool chief executive Peter Moore will be in the middle of his debut season as owner of the Santa Barbara Sky, which plays in the United Soccer League in America.

Although there is no promotion and relegation, USL represents the second tier of football in the United States, with average attendances ranging from 10,000 at Sacremento Republic to just over 1,000 in Miami.

Next summer, USL will have to compete for space with the expanded 32-team Club World Cup, plus the CONCACAF Gold Cup, in addition to Major League Soccer.

And beyond that there is the possibility of overseas leagues playing competitive matches in the States, with La Liga already keen on the idea for 2025-26.

If there is a risk of over saturation, Moore does not see it.

"This is a massive country," he said.

"There are 330 million people and still hundreds of cities that don’t have a soccer team.

"The World Cup coming here in 2026 is going to be explosive, so I don’t worry.

"La Liga is desperate to keep up with the Premier League and this market, is very Premier League dominated because of their deal with NBC.

"I don’t think there is any concern about someone coming over and playing a game.

"It only has a positive impact on the other 11 and a half months when the game is played."

Image source, Getty Images

Everton

Everton's opening pre-season friendly against Sligo Rovers ended in a 3-3 draw.

Sean Dyche's side has three warm-up games left to play before their opening match of the Premier League season at Brighton on Saturday, 17 August.

Here are Everton's remaining pre-season games:

27 July: Salford City v Everton, Peninsula Stadium (15:00)

30 July: Coventry City v Everton, Coventry Building Society Arena (19:45)

3 August: Preston v Everton, Deepdale (15:00)

10 August: Everton v Roma, Goodison Park (17:00)

• Click here from more Everton news, views and analysis.

• For a full list of pre-season friendlies for all Premier League clubs - click here.

Everton

Image source, Getty Images

Only time will tell how the end of takeover talks with the Friedkin Group will impact Everton's dealings in the transfer market for the remainder of the summer.

So far, the club have sold Belgium midfielder Amadou Onana to Aston Villa for £50m while defender Ben Godfrey has moved to Serie A side Atalanta for a fee in the region of £10m.

The Toffees have also rejected bids from Manchester United for 22-year-old England centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite.

Branthwaite, 22, played a key role in the Blues ending last season with the fourth-best defensive record in the Premier League.

Everton have, however, added to their attacking options with the signing of Senegal forward Iliman Ndiaye from Marseille on a five-year contract for a fee in the region of £15m.

Jack Harrison has also re-joined on a season-long loan from Leeds United and Tim Iroegbunam has signed from Aston Villa.